Living Island: 10 Years Later
by Your Saving Grace is Here
Summary: An H.R. Pufnstuf fanfiction story. It has been 10 years since Jimmy washed ashore on Living Island, and things have changed quite a bit in that time. But have the changes with those on Living Island, or Jimmy himself?
1. Chapter 1

_H.R. Pufnstuf Who's your friend when things get rough?_  
 _H.R. Pufnstuf Can't do a little, can't do enough_

 _Once upon a summertime Just a dream from yesterday A boy and his magical golden flute Heard a boat from off the bay "Come and play with me, Jimmy,_  
 _Come and play with me!_  
 _And I will take you on a trip Far across the sea!"_

 _But the boat belonged to a kooky old witch Who had in mind the flute to snitch,_  
 _From her Vroom Broom in the sky,_  
 _She watched her plan materialize,_  
 _She waved her wand The beautiful boat was gone The skies grew dark, the seas grew rough,_  
 _And the boat sailed on and on and on and on and on_

 _But Pufnstuf was watching too And knew exactly what to do,_  
 _He saw the witch's boat attack And as the boy was fighting back,_  
 _He called he Rescue Racer crew As often they'd rehersed,_  
 _And off to save the boy they flew,_  
 _But who would get their first?_  
 _But now the boy had washed ashore,_  
 _Puf arrived to save the day,_  
 _Which made the witch so mad and sore,_  
 _She shook her fist and screamed away_

 _H.R. Pufnstuf Who's your friend when things get rough?_  
 _H.R. Pufnstuf Can't do a little, can't do enough_

 _H.R. Pufnstuf Who's your friend when things get rough?_  
 _H.R. Pufnstuf Can't do a little, can't do enough_

Ten years had been the passage of time on Living Island. Ten long years. For some, however, it seemed no different than any other pssage of time. One afternoon, Mayor H.R. Pufnstuf had made the announcement to all of the other islanders that the upcoming weekend would mark the annual Living Island Horseshoe Tossing Tournament, and the grand prize winner was to receive 5,000 buttons. This excited the islanders, who always looked forward to the annual Living Island Horseshoe Tossing Tournament. As the day had passed, Cling and Clang were in an open area of the woods, each taking turns practicing their horseshoe tossing - neither of them were particularly good at it. Growing frustrated, Cling and Clang began wrestling each other to the ground in a scuffle, just as Mayor Pufnstuf happened to amble by.

"Oh my, oh my, oh my, you boys stop that!" Pufnstuf ordered, as he approached Cling and Clang and pulled them away from each other. "Stop it, Cling and Clang! You two shouldn't be fightin'!"

Cling and Clang turned to each other and offered each other their hand in a truce. This satisified Pufnstuf.

"Very good, I like it when you boys make nice with each other. I see yore warmin' up for the tournament this weekend." Pufnstuf said.

Cling and Clang both clapped and bounced about in excitment. Pufnstuf, however, was noticing something that seemed off.

"Say, where's Jimmy? Have either of you boys seen Jimmy?" He asked them, only for them to shake their heads. "That shore is odd. Jimmy hasn't seemed like himself lately. Maybe he'd feel better if he practiced for the tournament as well."

Cling and Clang nodded enthusiastically.

"Follow me, boys, let's go find Jimmy and tell 'im about the tournament! That might excite him!" Pufnstuf instructed, as he pressed on, with his loyal helpers following behind.

Elsewhere, in a secluded part of the island, a human sat sulking among ring of large rocks nestled into the ground. Emerging from the trees, Pufnstuf, Cling and Clang saw this person off in the distance, and merrily hurried their way over to him.

"Jimmy! Jimmy! There you are, we've been lookin' fer you! Didja hear? The annual Living Island Horseshoe Tossing Tournament is this weekend! Why don't you come practice with Cling and Clang? That might be fun!" Pufnstuf suggested.

The passage of time may have had no affect on the magical inhabitants of Living Island, however Jimmy was not immune to it. Now at age 22, he was a lot taller and lankier. The island tailor would routine make new clothes to accommodate his growth, but the outfits consistantly remained the same - always a yellow buttoned shirt, though now with a smaller collar, and always brown slacks, though now with fitted cuffs instead of bell bottoms. His once long and shaggy hair was now cut considerably shorter and more conservative. Traces of his cockney dialect were less distinct in his now deepened voice. He turned to face his friends, with a look on his face that only confused them.

"My house is a mess, Pufnstuf. When I woke up this morning, there was milked spilled everywhere. And I find Baby Madison lying in a puddle of it. Somebody had knocked her out of her crib and left her there in the puddle of milk." Jimmy told Pufnstuf.

"Gee wilickers, Jimmy, sounds like a hum dinger, if you ask me." Pufnstuf said.

"It gets worse, Pufnstuf. I looked around my house to see if anything had been stolen or was missing. Freddy is gone. My pal, Freddy, is gone. He's missing, Pufnstuf." Jimmy said, his voice turning bitter.

Pufnstuf offered Jimmy a non-helpful non-sequiter, in an attempt to lighten the mood, "Slather your grits in gravy, Jimmy!" The audience laughed.

Jimmy held up a dazzling pearl. It was about the size of a large baseball, and it glistened in the bright sunlight. "I found this pearl inside my house. I know it belongs to Clem. I suspect that he has something to do with all of this, Pufnstuf."

"Now, now, Jimmy, don't go countin' yore chiklins before they hatch." Pufnstuf said. He took the pearl from Jimmy. "If it'll make you feel any better, I'll go see Clem myself, and see what he knows about all this." Pufnstuf went about his way, while Cling and Clang stayed behind, each taking a seat amongs the rocks on either side of Jimmy.

Pufnstuf, however, was not going to see Clem, as he said to humor Jimmy. Instead, Pufnstuf sought advice from the island's resident medical professional. Both Pufnstuf and Dr. Blinky were very concerned about Jimmy's behavior.

"I'm very concerned about Jimmy's behavior, Mayor Pufnstuf." Dr. Blinky said.

"I know, Dr. Blinky. I can't understand why Jimmy has been actin' so strange lately." Pufnstuf said.

"Remember what happened the last time somebody on Living Island began acting this way? A sweet, innocent little girl she was, but once she began acting stranger and stranger, she grew up to be Witchiepoo!" Dr. Blinky said.

"Golly, Dr. Blinky! We need to do somethin' to help Jimmy before somethin' bad happens to him!" Pufnstuf said.

"We need to consider all of our options... whatever they are... I'm sure we'll think of something! Uh, maybe I'll consult with my books and test tubes." Dr. Blinky said.

"I hope we can think of somethin'!" Pufnstuf said.

Back in the woods, Jimmy still sat atop the rock, with Cling and Clang on either side, the three of them sipping milkshakes that Pop Lolly had brought moments earlier. In between each sip, Jimmy would sadly sigh. "This is the first time I've ever felt sadness ever since I washed ashore on this island."

Cling and Clang stopped sipping their milkshakes, and watched as Jimmy rose to his feet, and began pacing in front of them.

"Nothing is right... everything is all wrong... it shouldn't be like this. Don't you two ever feel like everything around you is in disarray, and there's nothing you can do about it? Don't you two ever feel like a part of you is missing and you can't find it?" Jimmy asked.

Cling and Clang were more confused than ever. They had no response for Jimmy other than puzzled stares. He was getting no help from them, so he decided to go home. After years of unsuccessful attempts to help Jimmy off Living Island, Pufnstuf and the rest of the islanders got together to build Jimmy his own house. The house, which could have easily been any kid's dream club house, with it's brightly painted walls, shag carpeting barn doors with large peepholes, and a fireplace that was actually a periscope, had become nothing more than a containment for Jimmy as he grew older. After he returned home, Jimmy tended to his fallen Baby Madison. Madison was a large, brightly colored Easter Egg with an adorable, happy face painted on and a bright pink ribbon wrapped around the outer shell. Her mouth was a small hole in the shell, and Jimmy fed a spoonful of mashed pineapples into it. He was lamenting over finding her lying in a puddle of spilled milk inside in his ransacked home. He just knew that Clem was the one responisble for the whole mess, but why won't Pufnstuf believe him? Jimmy wanted more answers. Later that afternoon, Pufnstuf was by his Mayoral Cave, practicing tossing horseshoes, using the horseshoes that Horsey was letting him borrow. The practicing had been paying off, and Pufnstuf was greatly improving.

"Another ringer, Mr. Mayor!" Horsey said.

"Thanks to you letting me borrow your shoes, Horsey." Pufnstuf said.

"Aww, it's nothin'." Horsey said.

Jimmy witnessed this from afar. He shook his head in disbelief at the way Pufnstuf seemed to not be concerned about his plight. Nevertheless, Jimmy screwed a smile on his face, and approached them.

"Hey, Pufnstuf! Hey, Horsey!" He greeted them.

"Well, howdy, Jimmy!" Pufnstuf greeted.

"Hey there, Jimmy!" Horsey greeted.

"Are ya ready to practice tossin' horseshoes?" Pufnstuf asked.

"Um, no, actually, I'm not." Jimmy said.

"Oh, I see, so my shoes aren't good enough for you, hmm?" Horsey asked.

"No, I didn't mean anything by that." Jimmy said.

"Sure you didn't. I think I hear Ludacrous Lion calling me. I better leave." Horsey said, as he galloped away.

"Golly, Jimmy, that wasn't very nice of you." Pufnstuf said.

"I really didn't mean anything, I just... say, Pufnstuf, did you happen to speak to Clem yet?" Jimmy asked.

"Oh, Clem wasn't the one who pillaged and plundered your house, Jimmy!" Pufnstuf said.

"Well, did you happen to show him the pearl that I found?" Jimmy asked.

"Oh, that pearl didn't belong to Clem!" Pufnstuf said.

"Then... where is the pearl now?" Jimmy asked.

"Oh, I gave it Clem!" Pufnstuf said.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ahoy, there!" A salty sounding voiced called out to Pufnstuf and Jimmy. It was Clem. The audience laughed.

Clem resembled a dwarf sailor clad in a white naval uniform, but his most distinguishing feature was his head, which was a oversized talking clam shell with a cigar dangling out, and eye protruding from the top. Clem had arrived a few years back, after Mayor Pufnstuf approved a new marina in a cove on the shore of Living Island, where Clem was quick to snatch up giant shell house nestled right beside the pier. The other islanders had welcomed Clem to Living Island, and he often excited them with his astonishing tales of the sea. Jimmy, on the other hand, never liked Clem, and that dislike grew stronger as he grew older and wiser. After listening to Clem's stories time and again, Jimmy began to notice his stories were not just mere stories, they were fish stories. They were always extravagant and embellished, and Jimmy even began to pick up on inconsistencies with the stories. The other islanders seemed to not notice any of this, and continued to be fascinated with them. Another reason for Jimmy's dislike toward Clem was that he was a hustler and a shyster, a quality that had endeared him to Ludacrous Lion, who often brought him in on joint ventures. Jimmy had witnessed time and again how Clem would rip other islanders off of their buttons for worthless trinkets he claimed to have found on his voyages, such as gold coins he claimed to have unearthed while on a treasure hunt, when they were actually gold wrapped chocolate coins he bought from Pop Lolly. Jimmy couldn't believe the naivity the other islanders had toward Clem and his dishonest ways.

"Well, howdy, Clem! How's things off shore?" Pufnstuf greeted the clamheaded sailor.

"Busy today. I spent a good many hours this mornin' scraping the barnacles off me rock garden from the high tides we been havin'." Clem said.

"Gollers. Maybe we should start buildin' a sea wall around your property." Pufnstuf offered.

"No need to, Mr. Mayor. All part of the sea life, and the life of the sea is the life fer me!" Clem said.

Jimmy took notice of the large pearl Clem had strung around his neck. Was this, indeed, the same pearl that Pufnstuf gave him? He confronted Clem. "How many of those pearls do you have, Clem?"

"Just the one, matey." Clem said, holding up his new jewelry item, as it glistened in the sunlight.

Jimmy was convinced Clem was lying. "You kidnapped my pal, Freddy, didn't you?"

"Clem didn't kidnap Freddy, Jimmy, Clem doesn't even know what Freddy looks like." Pufnstuf spoke on Clem's behalf.

"Not at all." Clem said.

"Oh yeah? Well, I have a picture of Freddy back home. Why don't we go over there and have a look and see if you recognize him? Maybe that'll job your memory." Jimmy said.

"Clem can't come, Jimmy, he's gotta practice for the Living Island Horseshoe Tossin' Tournament. Why don't you stay and practice yoreself and lighten up?" Pufnstuf asked.

Jimmy was having none of this. "I expect to see you at my house later, Clem. Alone." Jimmy turned to head home, only to trip over the pile of horseshoes.

"Hey, Jimmy! Watch out for that pile of horseshoes!" Pufnstuf let out with a bellow of yuks and yoks, and Clem let out with hardy har-hars, which only angered Jimmy further.

As the sun began to set on Living Island, Jimmy stood staring at the portrait displayed upon the mantle of his periscope fireplace. The portrait was that of a raven haired, mocha skinned beauty named Victoria. Several years back, Victoria, like Jimmy, was lured to Living Island by Witchiepoo. With another human already there who understood her plight, and finally having companionship from the outside world, Victoria and Jimmy became fast friends. As they bonded and grew together, it became clear that their friendship had bloomed into something called love, and when they entered adulthood, Pufnstuf took on the position of Justice of the Peace and married the two. Soon afterwards, they had Baby Madison, who was delivered by Dr. Blinky. However, one day, Victoria had discovered a way off of Living Island, completely by accident. While walking through the woods, she noticed a tree with a hole near the base of it's trunk, and the hole was glowing brightly. Curious, Victoria went to investigate, despite the tree's warning her not to come closer. Victoria peered into the hole, but in doing so, fell into a portal that transported her back to her own world. The tree, fearful that Witchiepoo may turn it into a pile of toothpicks, fled and hasn't been seen since. Jimmy's reaction was of mixed emotions. Part of him felt happy that Victoria had found a way back to the real world, if by accident, though part of him was bitter than he was still on Living Island despite being there longer than her, and he also felt a little betrayed that he and Madison were left behind. Jimmy reached out and caressed the glass over the photo of his disappeared wife, but the silence was broken when he heard Madison cooing. Jimmy walked over to the crib, reached in and picked up Madison, cradling her in his arms. Jimmy was then startled by a knocking at his door, as Pufnstuf invited himself in, followed by Clem, Cling and Clang. The air in the house quickly grew so tense that even Madison could sense it and began crying. Jimmy quickly produced a large picture of Freddy and showed it to Clem.

"Where is Freddy?" Jimmy pressed, as Clem studied the picture, stroking his chisled clamshell chin. "Answer me!"

"Take it easy there, Jimmy." Pufnstuf said, trying to intervene.

Jimmy was having none of it. "This is between me and Clem, Pufnstuf!"

Pufnstuf tried once again to lighten the air. "Golly, Jimmy, look at how dirty yore clothes are. Why don't you change into some nice, fresh, clean clothes?"

At this point, Jimmy nearly snapped. "What's the matter with you, Pufnstuf? Are you blinded by your own carefree atittude? Can't you see what's going on right in front of you?! Freddy is missing, and Madison is sick! Does this not faze you? Can you not comprehend that not everything on this island is all sunshine and rainbows?!"

Madison continued crying.

"Look, Jimmy, what are ya gettin' so worked up fer? Just give Madison some of Dr. Blinky's special medicine, and she'll be all good as new again. Now why don't you just simmer down there? No need to be a little sourpuss." Pufnstuf said as he, Clem, and the audience broke into more laughter.

By this time, Jimmy was insensed. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! ALL OF YOU! GET OUT! NOW!"

Puf and the gang left Jimmy alone with his crying Baby Madison. As night fell on Living Island, Pufnstuf with Cling and Clang met up once again with Dr. Blinky inside his house.

"This is terrible, Dr. Blinky. Jimmy's gettin' even worse." Pufnstuf said, while Cling and Clang nodded in agreement.

"Well, it's desperate times like these that call for desperate measures." Dr. Blinky said, as he opened up his medical bag and pulled out a tape measure. "Now, why we go see how much desperate measuring we'll have to do?"

They wouldn't have to wait long to get started, as Dr. Blinky's house let out a gigantic sneezing, sending them out his door.

"Oh my goodness! I think I'm going to have to install those new fangled sinus windows!" Dr. Blinky said.

Back at Jimmy's house, Jimmy struggled to bathe himself for the evening. Built when he was still a kid, the house may have been roomy, but the amminities were still child sized, and Jimmy barely fit into his chair, his bed, and even his bathtub. As he continued to sprinkle water over himself, Clem peered through the window. This did not go unnoticed by Jimmy, who spied something amiss out of the corner of his eye. Seeing a hand reaching through the window and grabbing the picture of Freddy, Jimmy sprinted from the bathtub, dripping water everywhere, as he attempted to grab Clem's hand, though Clem was quick to pull it back.

"I've got you this time!" Jimmy screamed.

Jimmy raced for the door, but it would not open, as Pufnstuf had locked him in, while Dr. Blinky hammered a quaranteened sign over it.

"That should do it, Pufnstuf!" Dr. Blinky said.

"Then let's get out of here!" Pufnstuf said, as he, Clem, and Dr. Blinky made a break for it.

Jimmy felt like his world was crumbling around him. The room felt like it was spinning, and he felt panic set in as he dropped to the floor in tears, cursing Pufnstuf for doing this to him. 


	3. Chapter 3

The sun rose and brought a new day to Living Island. Bright and early, Pufnstuf met with Dr. Blinky at his house, feeling guilty about locking Jimmy in his house.

"Gawsh, Dr. Blinky. Do ya think lockin' Jimmy in his house was the right thang to do?" Pufnsfuf asked.

"Listen, Mayor, we had to do what was best for Jimmy. After all, when people like him start to behave as strangely as he has been lately, it's best to keep them safely kept away from other things to he could possibly use to harm himself." Dr. Blinky explained.

"Wilickers, I guess yore right, Dr. Blinky. Maybe we should keep Jimmy locked up for a little while longer." Pufnstuf said.

"Good thinking. Hopefully in the meantime, the boy can calm himself down a bit." Dr. Blinky said.

Back at Jimmy's house, Jimmy had Baby Madison cradled in his arms once again, and was about to feed her breakfast, when he had noticed the pink ribbon that was tied around her shell was starting to come undone. He easily rested her on the kitchen counter, but as he proceed to retie her ribbon, he discovered it wasn't ribbon at all, but pink and sparkly adhesive tape, sealed around an opening in the shell. Jimmy was curious to see what this was about, but as he removed the tape and opened the shell, he gasped and nearly vomitted at what he discovered. Inside the shell was a baby. A human baby. His and Victoria's baby. All of the food that Jimmy had been inserting into the hole in the Easter egg shell simply fell in and landed on the baby wherever it did. The food had rotted and produced bacteria that was causing the baby's flesh to break into festering open sores and rashes. And the malnourished baby was in a frail skin and bones condition. Jimmy was overcome with grief that quickly turned into rage. He knew somebody was responsible for this, and he was sure it was Clem. Jimmy snapped. He flew over to the window, breaking it into several pieces, before climbing out and escaping. Moments later, Jimmy was at the Living Island Marina, where a shell house sat next to the pier. Jimmy pounded on the door with the force of a policeman attempting to search a fugitive's house.

"OPEN UP, CLEM! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" Jimmy shouted, as he pounded at the door furiously.

Jimmy met an unexpected fate when the door was answered. He saw a being who also resembled a dwarf sailor with a giant clam head, but this one sported a blue WAVE uniform, had braided blond hair underneath her cap, and a generous amount of lipstick along the edges of the clamshell mouth. It was Clem's slow witted sister, Clementine.

"Oh, it's you, Clementine. Do you know where your brother, Clem, is?" Jimmy asked.

"Nope." Clementine said. So slow witted was she that she could only communicated with one word responses.

"I'm very angry with him. He's done some horrible things to me. Do you know that?" Jimmy asked.

"Yep." Clementine said.

"Do you know where he might be?" Jimmy asked.

"Nope." Clementine said.

"Is he hiding somewhere?" Jimmy asked.

"Yep." Clementine said.

"Do you know what a scumbag he is?" Jimmy asked.

"Yep." Clementine said.

Jimmy could see he was getting nowhere with this. "You know, Clementine... there's an old saying that goes, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' Do you know that?" Jimmy asked.

"Nope." Clementine said.

"Let me show you what I mean." Jimmy said.

Meanwhile, Pufnstuf sat among the rocks with Cling and Clang once more. Puf was lamenting over how much Jimmy had changed as of late, and he didn't like it. He missed the old Jimmy the way he was.

"Jimmy shore has changed so much, Cling and Clang. It shore has been turning everythin' upside out and inside down. I just wish he would go back to the way he used to be. Things would be so much better for all of us if he did." Pufnstuf said, while Cling and Clang nodded in agreement.

Later still, Pufnstuf and Clem were merrily skipping their way back to the marina, singing as they went along, "Yo-ho-ho and double bubble gum! Yo-ho-ho and double bubble gum!" But when they returned to Clem's home, they were stunned at what they were witnessing. When Jimmy saw they had returned, he jumped off of Clementine, clutching his unzipped fly.

"What do you think you're doin'?!" Clem demanded to know.

Jimmy wagged his finger in Clem's face. "I SAW YOU TAKE SOMETHING FROM MY HOUSE LAST NIGHT, CLEM! I KNOW IT WAS YOU!"

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Clem yelled.

"Now calm down, Jimmy..." Pufnstuf said, trying to intervene once again.

Jimmy punched Pufnstuf in the face, knocking him to the ground, before he began yelling at Clem once more. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, CLEM!"

"SCRAM!" Clem yelled, his cigar tumbling out of his mouth.

"YOU'RE GONNA BE SORRY FOR WHAT YOU DID!" Jimmy yelled.

"I SAID SCRAM!" Clem yelled once more. Jimmy zipped up his pants, and ran off, while clutching his lose belt buckled. Clem walked over to Clementine and shoved her to the ground. "What's the matter with you?"

The sun was setting as Jimmy watched over Madison. By this time, her condition worsened. Her flesh had all but rotted away, and she was no longer making any noise. Jimmy placed his fingers on her chest, feeling her heartbeat and breathing as it continued to slow. "Please, Madison. Please don't leave me," he said, with tears spilling from his eyes as he watched her eyes flutter. Finally, they stopped fluttering, and he could no longer feel her heart beating or her lungs moving. She was gone. Jimmy completely lost it. Under the cover of darkness, Jimmy stormed down the coral line path leading to the marina. Once there, he noticed Clem was busy urinating into the ocean from the pier.

"Yar, them spicy tuna rolls always go right t'rough me!" Clem said.

This allowed Jimmy the opporunity to attack. He jumped into the pier, grabbed Clem, and through him back onto the sand. The daze allowed Jimmy to follow through with a second attack, as he grabbed Clem's penis and broke it. Clem doubling over and screaming in agony allowed Jimmy to follow through with his next attack, as he brought his knee to Clem's jaw, knocking him on his back. This then allowed Jimmy to follow through with his biggest attack yet. He tackled Clem, and began pounding away at his clamshell head.

"I KNOW YOU KIDNAPPED FREDDY, CLEM! WHERE IS HE?! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HIM?!" Jimmy screamed inbetween punched. He was so filled with rage that it transferred through his fists, and with every blow he dealt, Clem's clamshell head began to crack. Jimmy then ripped the pearl from around Clem's neck and began beating him with it as well. "WHY DID YOU DO IT, CLEM?! WHY DID YOU DO IT?!" Jimmy screamed some more. 


	4. Chapter 4

The clouds blew out of the sky, and the moon came out, shining down on the darkened Living Island. In doing so, something sparkling caught Jimmy's eye long enough to pause him in his rage of beating up Clem. Jimmy got off of Clem and approached the object that shining moonlight. Nestled into the sand along the coral lined path to the marina was another pearl. Just like the one Jimmy had found in his house. Just like the one Clem took to wearing around his neck. Jimmy observed the pearls in his hands, then looked at the bloodied and broken Clem laying on the sand, moaning and wimpering in pain. The sights before him brought more tears to his eyes.

"My God. What have I done?" Jimmy cried. He walked over to the moaning and wimpering Clem, knealing down next to him, and cradling him in his arms, apologetically.

The next morning, Jimmy sat with Pufnstuf outside his Mayoral Cave. He felt so guilty about the night before, and yet he was even more confused than ever before about everything.

"I just don't understand, Pufnstuf. I know what I saw. I saw Clem outside my house that night. I saw him reach in and steal something." Jimmy said.

"Fer the last time, Clem didn't steal anything from you, Jimmy. He was borrowing yer picture to make this poster." Pufnstuf said, showing Jimmy the posting that read MISSING: HAVE YOU SEEN FREDDY THE FLUTE? On the poster was a copy of the picture Jimmy had of Freddy. "He did this fer you, becawse he wanted to help you."

Jimmy's guilt and grief were deepened. "This is just terrible, Pufnstuf. I can't believe how much things have changed here on Living Island..."

Jimmy rose to his feet and began pacing again. Pufnstuf could sense where this was going, and slowly lowered his head in sadness.

"I can't take this anymore. I can't stay on this island any longer. I have a world out there, outside of this island. A world where I belong. I need to go back." Jimmy paused in his pacing to face Pufnstuf. "We sure have been through a lot together all these years, Pufnstuf." Jimmy offered up his hand. "Come with me."

Pufnstuf didn't respond.

"Please?" Jimmy pleaded.

After a moment of silence, Pufnstuf rose to his feet, but began walking in the opposite direction, keeping his head lowered. He felt he had failed Jimmy, as a mayor, a guidance, and a friend.

"Please, Pufnstuf. You're the best friend I ever had. You understand me better than anybody. Please, Pufnstuf. I need you." Jimmy pleaded once more.

Pufnstuf paused long enough to shake his head, without facing Jimmy. Jimmy may have another world waiting for him out there, but Pufnstuf didn't. His place was Living Island. Pufnstuf walked away, as did Jimmy. As the sun lowered in the sky, Jimmy eventually found a spot on the beach to lay Baby Madison to rest. He had sealed her back in the Easter egg shell Dr. Blinky had originally sealed her in, wrapping the shell is swaddling clothes, and nestling it into the sand along a thicket of seagrass. The sun continued to set, and as Jimmy wandered the deserted beach, he discovered the Witch's old boat. The paint was pealing away from the outer hull, and the rest of the boat was covered in a layer of seaweed and barnacles. Jimmy worked to the get the back into the water, but not before taking one last look at Living Island. Jimmy boarded the boat, and set sail. Once he was out of earshot, a sad and sorrowful flute tune began playing. Standing among the palms along the beach was Witchiepoo playing Freddy. Despite being a witch, Witchiepoo was also not immune too the passage of time. Her long and crooked nose was even longer and more crooked. Her haggy face was even haggier with several more warts and moles. Her hair was now white as snow, but she looked on and continued playing as Jimmy sailed away. Witchiepoo paused in her playing to tearfully wave goodbye to Jimmy. Freddy also sent out parting words.

"Goodbye, Jimmy. I'll never forget you." Freddy said.

Witchiepoo resumed playing her sad and sorrowful tune as Jimmy sailed off into the sunset, remembering all the good times he had on Living Island. He remembered when the islanders put on a talent show, in which he sang a song about pronouns. He remembered when Pufnstuf's sister Shirley came to Living Island to film her newest movie. He remembered the surprise birthday party the islanders through for him. He remembered when Judy the Frog taught everybody how to moonwalk. He even remembered some of the times they helped him try to get home. He remembered when he tried to steal the Vroom Broom. He remembered when Pufnstuf sent him up in a box kite. He remembered when Orville Pelican tried to fly him off the island. He remembered when Googy Gopher tried to help him tunnel off the island. He remembered even Clem once tried to send him in an old rowboat. Jimmy disappeared over the horizon as the sun set below the ocean. 


End file.
